1. Field of the Invention
This invention is designed for vehicles having a pivoting tailgate that can be lowered into a horizontally-extending open position from a vertically-extending closed position. It relates to a simple device with hinged panels that, when attached to the tailgate of a motor vehicle, provides an extended surface that can be used in multiple orientations for a variety of differing applications, including but not limited to use as a horizontally-extending table surface, a horizontally-extending extension of a pick-up truck bed that can be used for load-bearing purposes, a vertically-extending surface that functions as a tailgate but is positioned approximately eighteen inches beyond where the original tailgate would be if raised into its closed position, a horizontally-extending surface that can be used for the attachment of signs, flags, and other objects intended for display, a bench seat, and other support purposes. The offset positioning of its hinge back from the rear edge of the open tailgate gives the present invention device its strength when used as a load-bearing surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Now that “light truck” models, including pick-up trucks, are poised to overtake car sales in most states, it is evident that many households are using them as their primary vehicles. They have become mainstream at all sporting events, national parks, and job sites all over the world. The availability of extra surface area to use as a table or other support purpose is always a plus in these situations, whether it is used as a work bench to support equipment needed on a job or as a table on which to place food and other refreshments. The rise in popularity of “Tailgate Parties” as well as the desire for off road activities, such as kayaking and canoeing, makes a product such as the simple, convenient, and self-supporting tailgate table/extension of the present invention, a viable offshoot to enhance the practicality of pickup trucks, sport/utility vehicles, and other vehicles having a tailgate suitable for its attachment. Thus, there presently exists a need for a device that is unobtrusive when stowed, easy to move between its usable and stored positions, as well as practical and efficient when used in both work and recreational applications.
There have been many approaches by inventors to the design of tailgate improvements and accessories. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,731 to Tognetti (July, 1997), discloses a device that is usable as a table rather than an extension feature. The Tognetti workbench is on vehicle mounted tracks secured to the floor of the cargo compartment. Its mechanism has two rails extending along the length of the truckbed and a rigid plate member forming a work bench positioned above the first and second rails. There are also a plurality of rollers secured to the rigid plate member whereby the rigid plate member and the attached rollers can be rolled in and out of the cargo compartment. During use of the Tognetti invention as a workbench, the tailgate is attached by a hinged means to the rigid plate member and serves as the distal end of the surface. Ground support for the apparatus is provided by pivoting, telescoping legs. While the Tognetti device affords a sizable addition to the working surface of a pickup truck, it is distinguished from the present invention as it requires numerous modifications of the truck bed and tailgate with which it is used. In contrast, the present invention is simple and when the pre-drilled holes of modern truck beds are used, prior to installation of the present invention no modification of the truck is required.
Another approach to tailgate adaptation, and which combines the features of a tailgate extension and a work surface, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,294 to Disner (February 2001). The Disner device mounts on the tailgate of a pickup with a hinging means that is enabled as a work surface only through the engagement of removable legs. This means of attachment also creates a permanent mounting disfigurement to the truck in which it is installed. The device has a central panel and two end panels each having means for attachment on opposed sides of the central panel, which together function to provide enlargement of the cargo area of a truck bed by enclosing the truck's tailgate in the down position. The side panels of the Disner invention can be rotated into a stowed position on top of the central panel. Thus, the Disner invention is distinguishable in many respects from the simpler structure of the present invention.
Although a number of prior art inventions appear similar in function to the present invention device, on closer scrutiny it is evident that they all require a greater number of moving parts to function effectively. Therefore an important difference between these tailgate adaptations and the present invention device is that the present invention device is so much simpler to make and use, and so much more versatile in its applications. Thus, there still remains a need for a simple mechanism that can be attached to the tailgate of a truck, and which will enhance the tailgate's functionality and support capacity with little or no modification to the truck and without the use of support legs or braces.